Venetian blind tilter construction



MarchlO, 1953 H. NELSON. 2,630,861

VENETIAN BLIND TILTER CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 11, 1949 l7 I 37 32" um Ju 5, I W

? W 2 M L l AL: i 7 J 35 4 45 F 8 I INVENTOR HARRY M5450 36 BY --==P '-IZ -=r- Q I g ,1-

ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 10, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

8 Claims. (C1. ISO- 177) This invention relates to Venetian blind tilting mechanisms, and is particularly applicable tosuch devices of the worm and gear type when used in the so-called enclosed head construction in which the mechanism for tilting the slats of the blind is contained within a more or less enclosed, boxlike headbar.

In enclosed head Venetian blind constructions, a tilting mechanism, known in the trade as a tilter, is mounted within the headbar and serves to oscillate a tilt rod which extends longitudinally of the headbar and transmits movement to ladder tapes for tilting the slats f the blind. In the form shown of the present invention, this tilter comprises a unitary bracket-like tilter body which directly supports the tilt rod. The various component parts of the tilter such as the worm, gear and cord guide are supported in fixed relation by the tilter body.

The tilter body of the preferred form shown is specially adapted for mounting in an enclosed metal headbar of the type in which metal tabs are struck from a wall of the headbar and bent over cooperating portions of the tilter body to secure the tilter. Portions of the tilter body are formed to engage the cord guide. and positively retain it against displacement.

An object of the invention is to provide a Venetian blind tilter of the worm and gear type in which the tilt rod of the blind is supported'by the tilter independently of the gear thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tilter that is suitable for use in certain Venetianblind. constructions wher it is desirable to' pass a lift cord past the tilter.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in a Venetian blind tilter, an improved-construction for retaining the cord guide against fortuitous displacement.

A further object is te provide a Venetian. blind tilter having durability, strength and long life, which being economical to produce and easy to assemble.

A still further objectis to provide. a generally improved Venetian blind tilter and hieadbar' construction.

Further objects, and objects relating to details and economies of construction and operation will more definitely appear from the detailed description to follow.

My invention isrclearly defined inthe appended claims. In the claims, as. Well as in the description, parts are. at timesv identified by specific names for clarity and convenience, but such, 110-.

menclature is to be understood as having the broadest meaning consistent with the contextand: with the concept of my invention as distinguished from the pertinent prior art. The best form in which I have contemplated applying my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawingsforming part of this specification, in which Fig. l is a top plan view of the tilter portion of: an enclosed metal head embodying the presentinvention, a portion of the front wall of the-headbar being broken away to better show a: certain portion-of the tilter.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the headbar portion shown in Fig. 1, a portion of the front wall of the headbar being broken away to show thetilter.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the tilter alone that is shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the tilter shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plane development of the tilter body.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the tilter body.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 'I--l of Fig. 1, the shaft being shown in elevation.

Fig. 8 is-a cross section of the tilt rod, taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. '7.

The tilter'of the present inventionis particu larly suited for incorporation in an enclosed metal headbar assembly of the type shown in my prior Patent 2,455,135, issued November 30, 1948, in which a tilter is mounted on the bottom wall of a sheet metal headbar channel and serves to oscillate a tilt rod extending longitudinally of the headbar for operating two or more Venetian blind ladder tapes. The tilter portion of such a headbar is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in which the headbar channelis designated as awhole by [0.

The channel I0 has-a pair of tabs l I, I I struck from the bottom wall thereof to aid in positioning-and retaining a tilter I2 in position within the headbar. A tiltrod M, which may have the conventional D-shaped cross section shown in Fig. 8, extends longitudinally of the channel It and is supported and oscillated by the tilter, as will be explained. The tilt rod l4 may also take the form of an enlarged rod or bar directly mounting the ladder tapes of the blind. While no end brace has been shown in the drawings, it is customary to use an end brace in connectionwith the headbar' assembly.

The tilter I 2 is best'seen inFigs. 3 and 4. This tilter comprises a unitary sheet metal body I 5 (see also Figs. 5 and 6) which is bracket-likein form, having a base [6 and an upstanding portion I! projecting vertically from the base.

The upstanding portion l! of the tilter body is provided with a central opening 19 which receives a worm 2B. The worm 2G is fixed to a worm shaft 2! and the portion ll of the tilter body is provided with pairs of opposed arcuate straps 22, 22 as shown in Fig. 4 providing a journal for the shaft 21 on each side of the opening l9. This construction is described in more detail in Lorentzen Patent 2,226,623, issued December 31, 1940. A cord pulley 23 is fixed to the worm shaft 2| at the forward edge of the body it. The cord pulley 23 receives a tilt cord, not shown.

The upstanding portion 1 l of the tilter body is provided with a round hole 24 immediately above the worm 29, which serves as a bearing for the tilt rod It, the hole 24 being only slightly greater in diameter than the tilt rod l4. referably, some of the metal removed from the portion l! of the tilter in formin the hole or bearing 24 is formed into a short sleeve 25 (see Figs. 6 and 7) to serve as an extended bearingsurface for the tilt rod l4.

A gear 26 meshing with the worm 2c is mounted against the portion 51 of the tilter body. If the self-levelling tilt cord feature shown in my prior Patent 2,174,994 is desired, the gear 26 is provided with gear teeth around only a portion of its periphery, as here shown; otherwise the teeth may extend completely around the gear. The gear 28 has a hub portion 2? which is laterally displaced away from the upstanding portion ll of the body IE to form a cylindrical bearing surface. A central hole 23, which may be U- shaped to correspond with the cross section of the tilt rod, is provided in the hub portion. Preferably the part of the upstanding portion ll above the opposed straps 22 is displaced slightly to center the gear 26 on the axis of the worm 2D.

The gear 28 is rotatably supported against the body portion I! by a U-shaped sheet metal retainer 30 which is provided with a hole or bearing 3| receiving the hub portion 27 of the gear. The bearing 3i may have an extended sleeve for increasing the available bearing area. The retainer 33 overlies the gear 26 and has a pair of tabs 32, 32 which are inserted through slots 34, 34 provided in the portion ll of the tilter body and deformed to secure the retainer.

The base it of the tilter body iEpreferably extends on both sides of the upstanding portion I! in order to furnish a base of extended area to contribute to a rigid, durable construction. This may be accomplished in a unitary stamped sheet metal tilter body of the form shown by utilizing a center strip of metal from the upstanding portion I! to form an arm 35 lying in the plane of the base and extending on the opposite side of the upstanding portion from the rest of the base. In effect, the tilter body H is of inverted-T form, the vertical leg ii of the inverted T being provided with the intermeshing worm 23 and gear 26 and the horizontal leg of the inverted T constituting the base it for mounting the tilter. The portion 35 of the base lying on one side of the vertical leg is formed from metal struck from the vertical leg between edge zones thereof. This construction not only greatly increases the in herent stability of the body i5 but. additionally, produces a relatively large opening in the upstanding portion of the body [5 available for passage of one or more lift cords, such structure being desirable in certain forms of removable slat blinds in which the lift cords are received within slots in the extreme ends of the blind slats.

The base I6 01 the tilter body l5 may be reinforced by a raised bead or corrugation 36 extending centrally of the arm and into the remainder of the base and squared notches 31 may be provided on the two opposite ends of the base 13 to receive the tabs H of the headbar H).

A cord guide 39 is mounted on the tilter body I5 directly below the cord pulley 23. This cord guide may comprise a metal stamping having a generally fiat central portion til and a pair of barrel-shaped, rearwardly-opening side portions 4!, 4H for receiving a tilt cord, not shown, reeved about the cord pulley 23. A somewhat similar type of cord guide is shown in my Patent 2,430,579, issued November 11, 1947.

For assembly of the cord guide 3% on the tilter body 15, three vertical tabs or prongs are provided on the tilter body, as best shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Tabs 42 and 44 are located in the plane or" the upstanding portion ll of the tilter body and tab 45 is located on the base portion and out of line with the tabs :32 and 44 to form a triangular suppcrt for the cord guide. Tabs 44 and 45 may be formed L-shaped initially to more posi tively retain the cord guide 39 while the tab 42 is preferably straight to facilitate assembly. The tab 45 is bent into a vertical plane parallel to the body portion IT, as indicated in Fig. 6.

The central portion of the cord guide 39 is provided with three parallel slots 46 spaced to receive the tabs 12, 44 and 45. In addition, the upper edge of the central portion 48 of the cord guide may be provided with a notch 41 for engagement about a step 43 formed in the forward edge of the upstanding portion ll of the tilter body.

A transverse corrugation 58 may be provided in the central portion 42 of the cord guide to give a slight elasticity thereto and increase the tolerance available so as to facilitate assembly of the cord guide on the tilter body. After such assembly, the tabs 42, 44 and 45 are deformed to retain the cord guide 39 in position. The triangular arrangement of the tabs 42, 44 and provides a firm mounting of the cord guide 39 on the tilter body l5 so as to prevent fortuitous displacement of cord guide and at the same time positively retain the cord guide in fixed position even though one or more of the tabs are not deformed sufiiciently to grip the cord guide tightly. This construction aids in preventing any objectionable looseness between the cord guide and tilter body.

Before assembly of the tilter l2 and tilt rod l4, the gear 23 is carried by th bearing 3| of the retainer 30. After such assembly, the tilt rod i4 is carried directly by the bearing 25 of the tilter body It and the retainer 30 serves only to prevent travel of the gear 26 along the tilt rod. Hence, the weight of the blind is not carried through the gear and retainer, thereby permitting a more durable yet more economical design using lighter parts.

I claim:

1'. A Venetian blind tilter of the worm and gear type, comprising: a tilter body havin qa base portion and a vertical upstanding portion provided with a bearing to receive and support a tilt rod, a gear positioned against one side of the upstanding portion of the tilter body and having a hub opening for receiving a tilt rod, a gear retainer mounted on the tilter body and overlyingthe gear to confine it against the tilter body, the gear having a bearing portion rotatively received within the gear retainer. a worm meshing with the gear, and means for supporting and rotating the worm.

2. In a Venetian blind tilter of the worm and gear type having a stamped sheet metal bracketlike body formed of a horizontal base portion and a relatively fiat vertical upstanding plate portion provided with an opening receiving a worm, the improvement which comprises: the portion of the vertical upstanding plate below the worm-receivin opening being formed as an extension in the plane of the base and extending on the opposite side of the vertical plate portion from the remainder of the base.

3. In a Venetian blind tilter of the worm and gear type having a stamped sheet metal bracketlike body formed of a horizontal base portion and a relatively flat vertical plate portion provided with an opening receiving a worm, the improvement which comprises: at least a, part of the vertical upstanding plate between the wormreceiving opening and the base portion being formed as an extension in the plane of the base and extending on the opposite side of the vertical portion from the remainder of the base.

4. In a Venetian blind tilter of the worm and gear type having a stamped sheet metal bracketlike body formed of a horizontal base portion and a relatively flat vertical plate portion, the improvement which comprises: a part from the vertical portion adjacent the base portion being formed in the plane of the base portion to extend the base to the opposite side of the vertical portion and provide an opening in the vertical portion for passage of a lift cord.

5. A Venetian blind tilter of the Worm and gear type. comprising: a tilter bod having a base portion and a vertical upstanding portion provided with a bearing to receive and support a tilt rod, a gear positioned against one side of the upstanding portion of the tilter body and having peripheral teeth and a hub opening for receiving a tilt rod, a gear retainer mounted on the tilter body and overlying the gear to confine it against the side of the tilter body, the gear having a cylindrical bearing portion axially disposed from the teeth of the gear and rotatively received within a hole in the gear retainer, a Worm meshing with the gear, and means for supporting and rotating th worm.

6. A Venetian blind tilter of the Worm and gear type, comprising: a tilter body having a base portion and a vertical upstanding portion provided with an integral extended bearing surface to receive and support a tilt rod, 2, gear positioned against one side of the upstanding portion of the tilter body and having peripheral teeth and a hub opening for receiving a tilt rod. a gear retainer mounted on the tilter body and overlying the gear to confine it against the side of the tilter body, the gear having a cylindrical bearing portion of lesser radius than the peripheral teeth axially disposed from the teeth of the gear and rotatively received within a hole in the gear retainer, a worm meshing with the gear, and means for supporting and rotating the worm.

7. A Venetian blind tilter of the worm and gear type, comprising: a tilter body having a base portion and a vertical upstanding portion provided with a bearing to receive and support a tilt rod, a gear positioned against one side of the upstanding portion of the tilter body and having peripheral teeth and a hub opening for receiving a tilt rod, a gear retainer mounted on the tilter body adjacent the gear and overl ing the gear to confine it against the side of the tilter body, the gear having a cylindrical bearing portion axially disposed from the teeth of the gear and rotatively received within a hole in the gear retainer, a worm meshing with the gear, and means for supporting and rotating the worm.

8. A Venetian blind tilter of the worm and gear type, comprising: a tilter body having a base portion and a vertical upstanding portion provided with a bearing to receive and support a tilt rod, a gear positioned against one side of the upstanding portion of the tilter body and having a toothed peripheral portion and a hub portion provided with an opening for receiving a tilt rod, the hub portion of said gear being displaced laterally of the peripheral portion a distance less than the thickness of the gear to form a cylindrical bearing surface beside the peripheral portion, a gear retainer mounted on the tilter body and overlying the gear to confine it against the side of the tilter body, the bearing surface of the gear being rotatively received within a hole in the gear retainer, and means for supporting and rotating the worm.

HARRY NELSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,722,875 Wilson July 30, 1929 2,031,804 Victori Feb. 25, 1936 2,165,492 Lorentzen July 11, 1939 2,223,404 Burns Dec. 3, 1940 2,226,623 Lorentzen Dec. 31, 1940 2,230,807 Lorentzen Feb. 4, 1941 2,239,621 Nisenson Apr. 22, 1941 2,430,579 Nelson Nov. 11, 1947 

